Pedal board for musical instrument



March 18, 1969 R. M. COTTEN' 3,433,881 v PEDAL BOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed NOV. 10, 1965 AUDIO AMPLIFIER TONE GENERATOR INVENTOR:

160M101? (firm Z8 27% i E United States Patent 3 Claims This invention relates to a pedal board for a musical instrument, and more particularly to a novel pedal or key arrangement to facilitate playing a variety of musical selections.

One object of this invention is to provide a pedal board for a musical instrument, and particularly an electronic musical instrument, in which the pedals are arranged in a longitudinal row for successively producing tones in the chromatic scale.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pedal board for a musical instrument incorporating two longitudinal rows of pedals, the pedals in each row being arranged according to the chromatic scale.

A further object of this invention is to provide a musical pedal board including two rows of pedals, the pedals in each row being arranged according to the chromatic scale, and the pedals in one row being transversely aligned with the pedals in the other row, the aligned transverse pedals being musically separated by a perfect fourth interval.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel pedal board with any type of electronic musical instrument capable of producing musical tones electronically when electrical switches are closed by corresponding pedals.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a musical pedal board made in accordance with this invention; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic circuit diagram of one form of electronic musical instrument electrically connected to one of the pedals in the pedal board disclosed in FIG. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, FIG. 1 discloses a pedal board made in accordance with this invention including a first or front longitudinal row 11 of identical, uniformly spaced pedals 12. Each pedal 12 is substantially large enough to be depressed by the foot of the operator, and sufficiently spaced from the adjacent pedals 12 that the operator may easily depress one pedal at a time without depressing the adjacent pedals, unless depression of adjacent pedals is intended.

The pedal board 10 further includes a second longitudinal row 13 of uniformly spaced pedals '14, each pedal 14 being identical in size and construction to the pedals 12 and having the same uniform longitudinal spacing as the pedals 12 in the first row 11. Moreover, the second longitudinal row 13 is parallel to the first row 11 and spaced laterally adjacent thereto and sufiiciently close to permitthe operators foot to easily move and depress any single pedal 14 or 12 without the unnecessary or inconvenient movement of the operator.

It will be further noted in FIG. 1, that each pedal 12 in the first longitudinal row 11 corresponds to a musical note or tone, and the values of the successive pedals 12 reading from left to right progressively increase according to the chromatic scale. In a similar manner, the pedals 14 in the second longitudinal row 13 correspond to musical notes increasing from left to right according to the chromatic scale.

Furthermore, FIG. 1 discloses each pedal 14 transversely aligned with a pedal 12 in the first row 11, and the musical values of each transversely aligned pair of pedals 12 and 14 diifer by a perfect fourth interval. Therefore, the arrangement of the keyboard 10 is such that not only may the operator depress any single key 12 or 14 in either row, but may easily depress successive keys 12 or 14 in either row 11 or 13 in order to produce a chromatic run of notes. Furthermore, the operator may easily depress pairs of transversely aligned keys 12 and 14 by spanning his foot across both rows 11 and 13 in order to easily and rapidly produce musical fourth tones in the instrument.

As disclosed in FIG. 2, each pedal 12 is pivotally mounted by hinge 16 to the baseboard 17 of the pedal board 10 to swing in a vertical plane and rest upon a cushioned stop 18 adapted to yield to the depression of the pedal 12 by the operators foot.

An electrical switch, perferably of the make-end-break type, is adapted to be normally open, but closed by the depression of the pedal 12. As disclosed in FIG. 2, the switch may include a pedal electrode or contact 20 and a stationary electrode or contact 21 fixed to the baseboard 17. In the normal inoperative position of the pedal 12 disclosed in FIG. 1, the contacts 20 and 21 will be separated to open the switch and the circuit 22. However, when the pedal 12 is depressed against the yieldable stop 18, the contact 20 will engage the contact 21 to close the circuit 22 to an electronic tone generator 24 of any conventional type. Although the pedal 12 is disclosed in FIG. 2, it will be understood that each pedal 14 is constructed in the identical manner, and each pedal 14 will have a separate switch, such as 2221, connected by a circuit, such as 22, to the tone generator 24. Thus, the tone generator 24 will produce the tone corresponding to the depressed pedal 12' or 14 or a combination of depressed pedals 12 and 14.

The tone or tones produced by the generator 24 will be transmitted through the circuit 25 to the audio-amplifier 26, and the amplified tones or signals will be transmitted through the output circuit 27 to an electro-audio transducer, such as the loud speaker 28, in order to convert the amplified audioelectrical signals into audible tones or sounds. The power for the circuit may, of course, be supplied from any convenient source, such as a house circuit, through the plug or connection 30.

A pedal board 10 made in accordance with this invention for use with a musical instrument, and particularly an electronic musical instrument, may be easily played by a musician to produce a-varietyand breadth of musical tones with a minimum of elfort and practice. Moreover, the pedal board 10 is designed for optimum pedal arrangement to facilitate playing chromatic tones as well as musical fourths.

What is claimed is:

1. A pedal board for an electronic musical instrument comprising:

(a) a first longitudinal row of spaced pedals,

(b) a second longitudinal row of spaced pedals laterally adjacent said first row, so that each pedal in said first row is transversely aligned with a pedal in said second row,

(c) electronic sound producing means,

'(d) electrical switch means connecting each pedal to said sound producing means so that said switch means are normally open in inoperative position and closed in operative position by the depression of said pedals to produce a tone in said sound producing means,

(e) the tones produced by the successive pedals in said first row corresponding to the notes in the chromatic Scale,

(f) the tones produced by the successive pedals in said second row corresponding to the notes in the chromatic scale, and

(g) the tone produced by each pedal in said second row being a perfect fourth musical interval above the tone produced by the transversely aligned pedal in said first row.

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which said electronic sound producing means comprises a tone generator, an audio-amplifier and an electro-audio transducer.

3. The invention according to claim 1 in which said electrical switch means comprises a make-and-break electrical switch connected to each pedal.

4 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1917 Pope 84-426 US. Cl. X.R. 

1. A PEDAL BOARD FOR AN ELECTRONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING: (A) A FIRST LONGITUDINAL ROW OF SPACED PEDALS, (B) A SECOND LONGITUDINAL ROW OF SPACED PEDALS LATERALLY ADJACENT SAID FIRST ROW, SO THAT EACH PEDAL IN SAID FIRST ROW IS TRANSVERSELY ALIGNED WITH A PADEL IN SAID SECOND ROW, (C) ELECTRONIC SOUND PRODUCING MEANS, (D) ELECTRICAL SWITCH MEANS CONNECTING EACH PADEL TO SAID SOUND PRODUCING MEANS SO THAT SAID SWITCH MEANS ARE NORMALLY OPEN IN INOPERATIVE POSITION AND CLOSED IN OPERATIVE POSITION BY THE DEPRESSION OF SAID PEDALS TO PRODUCE A TONE IN SAID SOUND PRODUCING MEANS, (E) THE TONES PRODUCED BY THE SUCCESSIVE PEDALS IN SAID FIRST ROW CORRESPONDING TO THE NOTES IN THE CHROMATIC SCALE, (F) THE TONES PRODUCED BY THE SUCCESSIVE PEDALS IN SAID SECOND ROW CORRESPONDING TO THE NOTES IN THE CHROMATIC SCALE, AND (G) THE TONE PRODUCED BY EACH PEDAL IN SAID SECOND ROW BEING A PERFECT FOURTH MUSICAL INTERVAL ABOVE THE TONE PRODUCED BY THE TRANSVERSELY ALIGNED PEDAL IN SAID FIRST ROW. 